Magician: Dover Journey to the Top _ National League

BACK TO NATIONAL LEAGUE

After their win against Gillingham, team morale skyrocketed. They followed it up with a dominant 5–0 victory over Oldham Athletic. Charlie Hole scored his first goal for the senior team and, impressively, he is only 16 years old. Meanwhile, Dillon continued his outstanding form, scoring six goals in seven matches.



Then we have won 1-0 to Sutton United and unlucky draw with Morecambe 1-1.



I guess the players were a bit annoyed with themselves over how they played, because they went on to demolish Tamworth 3–0, Gateshead 2–0, and then secured another 2–0 win against Braintree. I have to say, we are very strong defensively.





We are top of the league.

DECEMBER

Our first match in December was in the next round of the FA Cup, and we were lucky to draw Chesterfield.

The fans were in great spirits and once again decided to prepare a tifo banner to support the team.
I think they still remembered when the chairman wanted the team to play one of the tactics created by the mastermind Flashy Josh, so they decided to share their opinion.



Well, what more can I say? Just have a look at the result — we absolutely trashed them 5–0.



Then we played FA Trophy against Merthyr and managed a narrow 1–0 win. Job done, no drama.

The next match was against South Shields, and this time we had to settle for a 2–2 draw. We didn’t play badly at all, just a bit unlucky, I guess. Dillon scored twice, but his late goal in the 89th minute snatched the draw.



Then we go two more wins against Maidstone and Woking, both by 2-0.





* The club doesn’t have an Under-21 squad, so to keep the players sharp I sometimes arrange friendly matches and use those who lack match fitness.
* I do the same when the league schedule is light and we’re only playing once a week — or even less.
* In a normal scenario (not with this pack), these friendlies can also be a source of extra income.

Merry Christmas from Dover Athletic Football Club.



I would like to know your opinion.
https://www.fmscout.com/q-34331-Has-anyone-enjoying-my-Dover-Story--Poll.html

January

The chairman visited us during the first training session of the new year and told us he had a surprise. He asked whether we remembered that he had previously mentioned his plan to build new office rooms for rent in order to generate additional income. Then he said he had changed his mind and that the team deserved credit for the work they had done. Instead of offices, he had built two new dressing rooms.



We were delighted. If you’re wondering why there’s a sign on the floor saying “This is not a circus,” it’s because Gillingham fans called us clowns the last time we played them. It seems the Chairman wanted this to be a great reminder of what we’ve achieved this year and last year.

First match of the new year was against Southed. This is second team in the league so we have settle for a scoreless draw.

The next match was against Norwich in FA CUP. Unfortunately we lost 2-0. I quess we are not at that level yet.



We got to the winning way against Alfreton Town in FA Thorpy and beat them 3-1, unlucky scoreless draw with Boreham Wood, and three win in a row against Solihull 1-0, Rochdale 4-1



and Morecombe 2-1 in FA Throphy.

It was a tough match. We scored first in the 46th minute. They equalized from the penalty spot. It looked like the game was heading for a draw, but we kept attacking and scored the winner in the 85th minute.



FIXTURE



I’m quite surprised that everything has been working well in recent months. I thought the financial difficulties would make our progress more difficult. For some reason, money isn’t everything, and with the good cohesion in the squad, we can do great things this season.

February INFO
I think this is a good time to talk about our progress off the field. The financial restrictions this season (save) require me to focus not only on winning matches, but also on controlling expenses.

FINANCE:
Every year, each team has to submit a financial report from the season, and we are no exception. The report indicates that our finances are currently in proper order.



As I mentioned previously, Jim has been in a good mood, so I decided to take advantage of that and ask whether we could turn professional.
Unfortunately, Jim said that we can’t make that switch yet. I assume it was a more polite version of “no,” which isn’t surprising given that he still behaves like a politician at times.



SQUAD:
We are also dealing with some fatigue issues across the team. Several players have played a high number of matches, and it has finally caught up with them. I instructed the staff to adjust their training by removing gym and pitch work, but it didn’t make much of a difference. I suspect that low stamina levels, particularly among players at lower levels, may be a significant factor for the remainder of the season.



With this in mind, I went back to my office and, since we have some room in the wage budget, started looking for cheap reinforcements. I know the available funds don’t sound impressive at just €875 per week, but there are always unemployed players who might consider themselves lucky to play for my team.

I have also completed a couple of coaching courses, which at least shows some personal progress alongside the team’s development.





DYNAMICS:

Team cohesion was also high, which came as no surprise given that we have been performing well above expectations.



Bonus info:

Top transfers in January and February.
It looks like teams are still struggling financially on this Pack and unable to make big signings.

FEBRUARY

TRANSFERS:
Firstly we added Habeeb Ogunneye on loan from Portsmouth.



Then, February 4th, we signed Matthew Craig on a non-contract basis. He appears to be a good player, but at the moment we cannot afford his wages so he only gets pay when he plays.



NATIONAL LEAGUE:

In our first match, we drew 1–1 with Altrincham. We played well, registering 11 shots on goal compared to their 2, yet they scored in the 91st minute. I was not impressed with the result. I had to tell the players that we need to start killing games, as the season is far from over.



In their next match, we thrashed Truro City 5–1.



We then drew 1–1 with Yeovil, won 1–0 against Shrewsbury, and finally secured a 3–1 victory over Aldershot.



We are creating chances. That is not the problem. The problem is finishing them.
I have decided it is a time to look for a striker better than our backup, George Nikaj.
He is a club legend, yes, and I respect that. But in football, sentiment does not win matches.
Progress requires decisions, and sometimes sacrifices.

RESULTS:




Always try to improve your team during the winter break - loan players if their wages are low. It is unlikely they will be recalled, even if they are not playing.

END OF FEBRUARY AND MARCH

On February 23rd, we played Carlisle and won 2–1. We had to come from behind after they scored first from a penalty in the first half, but we managed to score twice and win the match. As in most games, our xG was high, but finishing continues to be an issue.



The next match was against Leamington in the FA Trophy, which we won 1–0.

Then came only our third loss of the season, a 2–1 defeat to Forest Green,



followed by a 1–1 draw with Scarborough. Rak-Sakyi missed a penalty and Habeeb Ogunneye picked up a red card.



I have to say, Habeeb annoyed me a bit. We hadn’t received a single card all season, and he comes in, plays a couple of matches, and manages to pick up two yellow cards and a red. He is lucky to be only on loan.



On top o that George Nikaj suffered an injury and will be out for 5weeks–2 months.



That made me even more motivated to bring in another striker, and we managed to sign Ronny Moncur from Spurs on loan.



Finally, we remembered how winning works, beating Scunthorpe 3–1 and Oldham 2–0. Calm was restored. For now.





RESULTS:

20 MARCH 2027

Our next match was against Hartlepool which we won 2-0.



It was a great game for us, not only because we won, but because we became CHAMPIONS AGAIN.
YES — BACK-TO-BACK PROMOTION! 🏆🔥

I could not believe we gonna make the promotion looks so easy this year.
It was a home match so the ceremony took place after that.






LEAGUE TABLE


It looks like the journey will continue.



Following the match, I was invited to attend the press conference.
Reporter. Good afternoon. Congratulations, You must be extremely happy.
Me. Happy and surprise I didn’t even realize we can gain promotion so early.
Reporter. Everyone is talking about your management skills and praising you for your financial management as well. How have you managed to be good at both?
Me. I have always been very good in those things. I was born with that.
Reporter Your arrogance is back.
Me No. It is called confidence.
Reporter: The board must be delighted with another promotion. Do you expect the chairman to finally invest more?
Me. Yes, but I haven’t had the chance to speak to Jim about it yet.
Reporter. “I know you’ll be keen to return to your players and continue the celebrations. Let me congratulate you once again, as back-to-back promotions are a rare achievement in football.”
Me. Thank you very much, and I’ll see you next time.

“Our latest promotion has gained national attention across leading sports news outlets.”

END OF MARCH





After winning promotion, things started changing very quickly.

Jim was the first to make a move, offering me a new contract. I tried to push for more than €900 a week, but he made it clear that this was the limit. I guess I’ll have to keep my side hustle going a little longer.


Soon after, the new transfer and wage budgets were set, which gave me a clear idea of how much I could spend on improvements. Those improvements would be needed, especially with several players returning to their parent clubs after loan spells, and others — like George Nikaj — being released.

Jimmy finally decided that this is the right time to turn the club professional. I’d been waiting for this moment, knowing it would help attract better players. Financially, we’re doing okay, although I’d still like to see more sponsorship income — unfortunately, someone has made that harder for us.




The transformation into a professional club was completed over the next few days.


After all the off-field drama, we were finally back where we belong — on the football pitch.

The fans decided it was time to show their appreciation for my work. They unveiled another tifo banner… but that wasn’t all.


Soon after, a brand-new chant started echoing around the stadium. It goes like this:

WHO’S GOING UP?
DOVER!
WHY WE GOING UP?
COACH A MAGICIAN — GAME OVER!
First time League Two, yeah we made that move,
Not finished yet, nah, we coming for more!
Hands in the air, let the whole place roar:
DO-VER! DO-VER!
WE! WANT! MORE!

The match was just a formality. We won 3–0 against Carlisle in a dominant performance from the players.


In the final match of March, we faced Sutton United. They’re a mid-table side, but they defended deep all match and we struggled to convert our chances. Fortunately, I made a tactical tweak late on, and it paid off.
In the 91st minute, we finally found the winner. Dillon scored the goal, with our super-talented youngster Finn providing the assist. If he stays with us, he’ll become a club legend. He’s still only 17 years old.